The Poetic Bit. What a noble geography has Dublin! A perfectly shaped bay located on a vertical axis, neatly pierced by the Liffey on the horizontal line. From the city the mountains loom large, hazily proclaiming nature's continued existence. From the mountains the city seems calm as a sleeping cat. Howth hangs improbably by a thread. The ferry seems frozen in time. There is no hint of the beehive activity below. You would forgive Dublin a lot from this distance. Let me confess that my expectations had been very low. I had had visions of rubbish strewn lanes leading to streams of mud connecting flat bumps of mountains. It was not so. It was just marvellous. The Prosaic Bit. To avoid car thievery, I parked at Johnny Fox's pub and headed for the well signposted Wicklow Way . Once on the WW I was completely alone. I took a shortcut through a firebreak in the forest to PW's Seat. Loving the open mountain: hating the thigh high growth! I had Prince William's Seat, Knocknagun and Glendoo entirely to myself on a fine Saturday in September. Super super views not just of Dublin and its coast, but the garden green of north east Wicklow and the shapely Sugar Loaf, wild mountainy Kippure and its twin lakes, and eventually Tallaght and the eastern plain. My line of descent to Cruagh Wood was a bit eccentric: I followed the eastern bank of the river for a bit and then crossed into the wood and onto the boardwalk. I found the East-West Mapping "Dublin and N.Wicklow Mountains Map" VERY useful in sorting out the forest tracks as I descended through Cruagh Wood and in gaining access to the west side of Tibradden. (Mind you I also brought my OSI as I feel it's contours are superior..Do I remind you of Mitterand?)This was to be my first encounter with the Dublin Mountain Way and its many paths. The day which had begun with an open mountain experience became a walk in the park. This was not unpleasant at all. The views remained stunning, although I was now constantly bumping into people. I hope to address the subject of "mountain development" in a separate piece especially in the light of Bleck Cra's Mourne campaign. Tibradden, the petite one, was surprisingly satisfying giving views over the earlier part of the route and fresh views of the city.. I passed quickly over Two Rock and headed back around the southern side of pine forest to avoid the dull forest light.The heather was blooming, and was interspersed with gorse like yellow flowers. What a fragance in the warm sun of the late afternoon. I ought to have turned back into the forest as shown on the map and paid the price by accidentally trespassing on the edge of the Golf Course for a couple of hundred metres. My car was still where I left it, and in the same state: a bonus! I strongly recommend the YouTube video Wicklow Rambles: Prince William's Seat and Knocknagun - by our own kernowclimber and mcrtchly. It's a great appetiser and you'll get it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVj8em_AEz0 Our friends approached from the southern side of the WW through Curtlestown Forest: I mention that to avoid confusion